Great characters brought to life by excellent actors. A slow start with lots of twists and turns to the plot. Interesting storyline. A must view!
5 Reviews
Great movie
kathryder20 August 2018
There's 'Suspending Disbelief' Then there's THIS
caf-1925 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
We learned a long time ago that in order to enjoy a fictional book or movie, we humans have to voluntarily Suspend Disbelief. Of course this is true, and part of the enjoyment of fictional stories. The more fantastical the story is, for example, the cinematic pleasure of the movie, Avatar, the more we just give over our everyday skepticism and go along for the ride.
This whole concept is not so simple in gritty 'real life' dramas. In these, the story/script, the location, the director and crew, and especially the actors must convince us viewers that we could be in their shoes too. It's even better when the drama is so compelling that we forget that we're in our living room and begin to feel that we're there with the actors.
This film, while a strong effort by this New Zealand crew, just didn't pull us in. I love how the story presents the question of, who, really, is the Bad Guy? Then presents some great arguments that the bad-guy is definitely us.
However, throughout most of the movie, we were saying, "That would never happen", or "can you believe that idiot didn't lock the doors?". This occurred from the start when we learn the basic premise that the main character wasn't even in the correct country working, as he had convinced his family for several weeks. Ninety Eight percent of wives just aren't that stupid. The expectations of the audience to believe one absurd premise after another was just too much. Even though the mood is anxious, and creepy, and tension steadily builds, it just caused us as viewers to pull back away from the story, because so many of the behaviors became too unbelievable.
I read that this whole movie was filmed on an iPhone (!) Which, if true, is really commendable for the potential talent and skills of this working crew of movie makers. Set them up with a tighter script and real equipment, and who knows what they may accomplish.
This whole concept is not so simple in gritty 'real life' dramas. In these, the story/script, the location, the director and crew, and especially the actors must convince us viewers that we could be in their shoes too. It's even better when the drama is so compelling that we forget that we're in our living room and begin to feel that we're there with the actors.
This film, while a strong effort by this New Zealand crew, just didn't pull us in. I love how the story presents the question of, who, really, is the Bad Guy? Then presents some great arguments that the bad-guy is definitely us.
However, throughout most of the movie, we were saying, "That would never happen", or "can you believe that idiot didn't lock the doors?". This occurred from the start when we learn the basic premise that the main character wasn't even in the correct country working, as he had convinced his family for several weeks. Ninety Eight percent of wives just aren't that stupid. The expectations of the audience to believe one absurd premise after another was just too much. Even though the mood is anxious, and creepy, and tension steadily builds, it just caused us as viewers to pull back away from the story, because so many of the behaviors became too unbelievable.
I read that this whole movie was filmed on an iPhone (!) Which, if true, is really commendable for the potential talent and skills of this working crew of movie makers. Set them up with a tighter script and real equipment, and who knows what they may accomplish.
Made our night
rosebvd11 October 2018
Great watch
craigbeatson20 August 2018
Clever movie making at it's best. Shot on an iPhone with a shoestring budget. The acting well done and the characters have great depth right down to the sergeant at the end with dodgy 80s moustache. Well worth a watch.
This film packs a great story shot with the phone in your pocket!
InternationalMobileFilmFestival27 May 2019
This film will inspire anyone with a dream to make movies--with a smartphone. A lot of filmmakers are looking at how smartphone filmmaking is advancing in the film industry by criticizing the aesthetics of films and comparing them to traditional cameras used by the industry. I think it's a missed opportunity for mobile filmmakers looking for inspiration. Filmmaking is storytelling. Part of storytelling in film brings everything to the forefront: aesthetics, cinematic value, locations, cinematography, sound, etc. The story in this film is king. The story in "storytelling" is king.
Don't watch this film to compare cameras but instead compare the story and the style of the director who made a film with great cinematic value on top of the fact that Stef Harris (writer and director) grabs you from the beginning and keeps you in suspension throughout the telling of this story. The acting from the main characters like Jed Brophy and Mark Hadlow help give this dialogue heavy film a character of it's own. Without having to re-create flashbacks, the film does a good job establishing the history between the characters through character development. It brings the viewer closer and closer with each scene.
The cinematography of this film is in many ways unique to what one who takes it seriously can accomplish only with a smartphone. The film was shot with an iPhone but you need not use a particular brand to shoot a feature film. A great accomplishment to have shot a great feature film of about 85 minutes using a small crew, limited time and one single main location.
By the way, I am a supporter of this crew after watching their film. I am not biased on the film. I base my review solely on the film itself after watching it and listening to Stef Harris and Jed Brophy share their backstory on my podcast.
Don't watch this film to compare cameras but instead compare the story and the style of the director who made a film with great cinematic value on top of the fact that Stef Harris (writer and director) grabs you from the beginning and keeps you in suspension throughout the telling of this story. The acting from the main characters like Jed Brophy and Mark Hadlow help give this dialogue heavy film a character of it's own. Without having to re-create flashbacks, the film does a good job establishing the history between the characters through character development. It brings the viewer closer and closer with each scene.
The cinematography of this film is in many ways unique to what one who takes it seriously can accomplish only with a smartphone. The film was shot with an iPhone but you need not use a particular brand to shoot a feature film. A great accomplishment to have shot a great feature film of about 85 minutes using a small crew, limited time and one single main location.
By the way, I am a supporter of this crew after watching their film. I am not biased on the film. I base my review solely on the film itself after watching it and listening to Stef Harris and Jed Brophy share their backstory on my podcast.
See also
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